A LOOK AT THE STORM ...
A 3-0 start to their 2014 season has since turned sour for the Simpson College Storm as they are winless since the beginning of conference play three weeks ago.
In their final non-conference game, the Storm upset 13th ranked Illinois Wesleyan 13-3. Since that upset, they have been outscored 117-62.
Offensively, the Storm are led by their quarterback, Dylan Berkey, who enters Saturday's contest with 1,298 passing yards and eight touchdowns. His drawback this season has come by way of the interception, in which he's turned the ball over eight times.
Four different players comprise the rushing attack with Ethan Calvert leading all rushers with 301 yards on the ground. Following Calvert is Tyler Kenny (260 yards), Jordan Beem (230 yards), and Berkey (262 yards).
On defense, Brandon Abernathy leads all Simpson defenders with 49 tackles from his outside linebacker position. The senior has five tackles for loss, totaling 14 yards, and one forced fumble.
Logan Klein and Drew Jensen split the kicking duties for Simpson combining for 7-of-9 on the year. Klein is 4-of-5 and has a long of 34 yards, while Jensen of 3-of-4 with a long of 30 yards. Additionally, Klein handles the punting responsibilities and has been lethal at it for the Storm, putting four inside the 20 and sending three over 50 yards.
SERIES HISTORY ...
In 2013, the Storm handed the Duhawks a 27-10 loss in the Rock Bowl. Loras got off to a hot start as
Jon Powers grabbed a 26-yard reception and brought it in for a touchdown with 8:08 to go in the first quarter. Unfortunately for Loras, the Storm offense kicked into high gear and scored 27 of the final 30 points of the day.
The last time Loras defeated Simpson came back in 2009, when the Duhawks won 45-21. Gavin Kaiser finished with three touchdowns, two by way of the ground game, and Johnny Jackson rushed 17 times for 98 yards. Nick Lloyd returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to make it 24-7 Duhawks.
GAINING HIS STRIDE ...
Since the loss of
Dylan Jones in week three, freshman Bob Kelly has had the offense placed on his shoulders and given the keys to the the machine. His 177.8 passing yards per game is well below of Jones' average of 317.7, but with time, Kelly should become more comfortable with the offense and be able to flourish.
